Martin O'Neill hailed a maturing Fabian Delph after he helped fire Aston Villa into the fifth round of the FA Cup.

The 20-year-old midfielder bagged his first Villa goal in Saturday's 3-2 fourth-round win over League One Brighton & Hove Albion.

"He's going to be a proper player and that performance will give him a big boost," O'Neill told the club's official website.

"Today he again showed what he is capable of. I think he has a real future ahead. He took the goal magnificently and I am just really pleased for him."

Speaking about Villa's hopes of following up their feat of reaching the Carling Cup Final in the FA Cup, he added:"We're going to try, definitely going to try.

"We're in the fifth round and of course you would need the luck of the draw. We would definitely be trying."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email